Ethernet has become one of the dominant technologies in various segments of networks, including local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), and wide-area networks (WANs). Ethernet OAM has been an integral part of Ethernet offerings in ensuring that Ethernet delivers the required customer service-level agreements (SLAs).
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a network architecture that aims at decoupling control plane functions from data plane functions such that separate apparatuses may be utilized for different functions. In the SDN architecture, network intelligence and states are logically centralized, and the underlying network infrastructure is abstracted from the applications. As a result, networking may be simplified and new applications become feasible. For example, network virtualization can be accomplished by implementing it in a software application where the control plane is separated from the data plane. Also, a network administrator of a SDN system may have programmable central control of network traffic without requiring physical access to the system's hardware devices. With these benefits, SDN architecture based systems (referred to as SDN systems or SDN networks exchangeably herein below) are gaining popularity among carriers and enterprises.
With both of SDN and Ethernet being preeminent in networking, it is desirable to be able to implement Ethernet OAM functions in a SDN system.